Experimentation: The Satou Sei Method
by Rosa Chinensis
Summary: An accident leads Yumi to seriously reconsider her feelings for Sachiko, but she makes the mistake of going to Sei for advice... A lighthearted, humorous look at Yumi and Sachiko's relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: _Maria-sama ga Miteru_ and all characters therein belong to Konno Oyuki, Nagasawa Satoru, Shuueisha, and Geneon Entertainment. I am using them for non-profit purposes. 

**Chapter 1**

It had been an accident, of course. Yumi had tripped and fallen on top of Sachiko, and their lips had brushed. She hadn't given much thought to that part at the time, because they'd both been rather preoccupied by the scalding-hot tea that had spilled onto Sachiko's lap.

It wasn't until after everything had been cleaned up, and Sachiko taken to the infirmary for treatment of her burns, that Yumi stopped panicking and apologizing long enough to really think about all that had happened. Her first reaction, other than the embarrassment and remorse, was confusion. What was it that she felt for Sachiko?

She looked up to her, of course; adored her, even. Even now that they were soeurs, Sachiko still seemed so perfect, so unfathomable in some ways. But there were also other sides to Sachiko that Yumi was slowly discovering. The Onee-sama side of Sachiko, the one that watched out for Yumi, took care of her, educated her; The nervous, insecure part of Sachiko, that worried about how to support her own Onee-sama, Rosa Chinensis; The sweet, tender side of Sachiko, that indulged Yumi.

In Yumi's mind, Sachiko was slowly transforming from an abstract, untouchable figure into one made of flesh and blood. And Yumi liked this "real" Sachiko as much as she had the idol, if not more so. She loved spending time with her, would have spent every minute of every day with her if it had been possible, though having all of Sachiko's attention focused on her made her a bit uncomfortable. Sometimes when she was under Sachiko's gaze, she felt rather like a worm being dissected, thoroughly checked for any imperfections. Of course, that analogy was a bit off, as Sachiko's eyes were much nicer than a scalpel, or any instrument made by man, for that matter. In fact, they were more than just nice; they were rather exquisite, just like the rest of her. Cold and cutting at times, and warm and inviting at others. A study in contrasts.

Sometimes, Yumi had trouble meeting those eyes at all, and at others, she felt as though she wanted to gaze into them forever, to become lost in them. It was all rather confusing. Her thoughts on the entire matter were rather confusing, actually, and she found herself unable to arrive at any sort of conclusion regarding her feelings for Sachiko.

Though the whole incident was rather humiliating and she would have preferred never to have to mention it again, ever, she really did need some advice. So, having resolved to just endure all the teasing she was sure she'd get about it, she went to see Rosa Gigantea about it the next day.

Once Sei finished laughing at her (which took quite a while, and was rather irritating, really), she looked at her seriously for a few moments, long enough that Yumi began to squirm uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

"How did you feel when it happened?" She asked, finally.

"How did I feel?" Yumi echoed. "U- um, embarrassed. And off-balance." She made a face.

Sei laughed. "It's just like you to answer like that, Yumi." She paused. "Here's another question, then. How do you feel about Sachiko in general?"

"I- She- She's wonderful, and smart, and pretty, and the perfect lady, and-"

Sei held up a hand, cutting Yumi off. "Okay, okay, I can see that's not going to work. How do you feel about her, _personally_? What is she to you?"

Yumi blinked. "She's my Onee-sama. She... she's strict, but she always takes care of me, and puts up with my clumsiness, and..." She trailed off, frowning thoughtfully.

"How-" She hesitated, wanting to ask but not sure if it would be overstepping boundaries, bringing up subjects best left untouched.

Naturally, Sei understood. "It's all right," she assured Yumi. "You can ask."

Yumi blurted it out, before she could lose her nerve. "How did _you_ feel about Shiori-san?"

Sei paused, her eyes staring off into the distance. "Like... like I wouldn't have cared if everything else in my life disappeared, as long as I had her. She was the person I loved most in this world."

Yumi frowned again. "I don't think I feel that way about Onee-sama. I _like_ her, a lot, but-" She frowned. "And I- I-" She was bright red now, she knew, and Sei was enjoying this chance to embarrass her, a good-natured smile on her lips.

"You don't know whether you want to kiss her again." Sei was painfully blunt.

Yumi, her fact tomato red, nodded.

"Or any girl," Sei continued. "Am I right?"

Yumi nodded once more, very much regretting her decision to come to Sei for advice. She had a _very_ bad feeling about where this was going.

"Well," Sei grinned widely, "there is one way to test that theory." She put her hands on Yumi's shoulders, leaning in.

Yumi saw Sei's lips approaching hers, almost in slow-motion, and panicked. "No!" she cried, shoving her away. "I- I don't want you to."

Sei stepped back, smiling again, though Yumi thought she saw a trace of hurt in her eyes. "I thought not," she said brightly. "But if you're still not sure, you could always try it with Sachiko." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Though you'll probably have to make it look like an accident again, she's too prim and proper to stand for it otherwise. Don't worry, I'll help you work out a plan."

"A plan?" Yumi asked, her eyes widening.

"Yup. Though I think she'd appreciate it if we spared her the hot tea this time." Sei winked.

She considered for a few moments. "How about this: I get her in a tizzy, and you wait behind the doorway for her to storm out and knock you over. Just like the first day you came to the Rose Mansion."

"B- but what if she doesn't fall on my lips?"

"We do it again until she does." Sei looked at her as though the answer should have been obvious.

"B- b- but-" Yumi tried to protest.

"It'll be fine," Sei assured her. "No problem! Besides, what could go wrong?"

Yumi's heart sank.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: _Maria-sama ga Miteru_ and all characters therein belong to Konno Oyuki, Nagasawa Satoru, Shuueisha, and Geneon Entertainment. I am using them for non-profit purposes.

**Chapter 2**

Yumi could hear Sei and Sachiko talking from her post just outside the door of the meeting room. Sachiko sounded angry, but she wasn't yelling yet. Yumi wondered just what Sei was saying to her. She crept closer, putting her ear up against the door.

"-_my_ soeur, and therefore _my_ responsibility!" The thudding of footsteps accompanied the voice, which was getting progressively louder, but Yumi was too preoccupied with the possible implications behind the words to realize what was going on until it was too late.

Simmering with anger, Sachiko flung the door open with quite a bit more force than was strictly necessary, not really taking note of the heavy weight on the other side until a sickening thud and a pained cry made known the existence of a person there.

"Y- Yumi?" Sachiko questioned, shocked.

Yumi sniffled, tears running down her cheeks. Her head _hurt_! "O- Onee-sama," she managed through the pain and embarrassment.

"Are you all right, Yumi-chan?" Sei was at her side now, concern and a bit of guilt in her eyes.

"We need to get her to the nurse's office," Sachiko interrupted. "Head injuries may be more serious than they appear."

"Right," Sei agreed. She helped Yumi up.

Thankfully, Sachiko was too worried about Yumi's possible injuries to make a fuss about Sei touching her petite soeur unnecessarily, though she did feel a slight twinge of jealousy.

The three of them walked to the nurse's office together, Sei asking inane questions along the way on the pretense of checking Yumi's mental state. When she asked, "What color lingerie do you think would look best on Sachiko?" Sachiko put a stop to her little game, glaring at her fiercely.

The nurse seemed surprised to see Yumi and Sachiko again so soon, but she looked Yumi over and pronounced her fit, recommending bed rest until her headache got better, and painkillers if she needed them.

Sei offered to stay with Yumi while she rested, but Sachiko insisted she be the one to stay.

Looking back over her shoulder as she left, Sei smiled faintly at the picture the two made: Yumi lying peacefully in bed, her eyes closed, and Sachiko hovering by her side, trying not to show her nervousness though Sei could see it easily in the small gestures she made–- the way she ran her fingers back and forth across the handle of her satchel, the slight frown to her lips as she peered intently at Yumi's face, looking for any sign of discomfort.

Sei closed the door behind her with a quiet snick and headed for home, a smug smile on her face.

Her plan was progressing smashingly; literally _and_ figuratively. Now, for the next stage, it would be optimal if...

Thoughts of Yumi and Sachiko preoccupied her all the way home.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Approximately half of an hour later, there was a light touch on Sachiko's shoulder, startling her. She twisted around, looking up to see the nurse smiling at her expectantly.

"And how is our patient?" the nurse murmured, keeping her voice down so as not to bother Yumi.

"I believe her condition remains unchanged," Sachiko said, turning back to look at Yumi again. Her hands twisted nervously in her lap.

She felt so guilty about hurting Yumi like this. If only she'd been more careful!

More than that, she was worried about Yumi. Not just because of the harm she'd caused her today, but because Yumi had been acting strangely ever since the tea incident the other day. She didn't meet Sachiko's eyes anymore, and was often staring off into space—or, more frequently, at Sachiko—when she should have been working. Sachiko wondered if it was guilt over the tea incident, or if something larger was going on. She suspected the latter, but felt it would be better not to question Yumi about it unless things got out of hand. Better to wait for Yumi to come to her about it than to bring it up herself.

"All right then," the nurse said. "I'll come back in another half hour or so to check on her again. You just stay with her, and call me if you need anything."

She walked back over to her desk, leaving Sachiko alone with Yumi—-and her troublesome thoughts—-once more.

The minutes passed very slowly for Sachiko. She watched Yumi, staring intently down at her face as though she could divine the cause of her recent worries from the tilt of her nose and the pattern her eyelashes made against her cheeks.

After what felt like several hours for Sachiko, but was in fact closer to seventeen point five minutes in the real world, Yumi woke. Her headache hadn't gone away yet, if the furrow in her brow and the slight pained twist to her lips were anything to go by.

"Onee-sama," she said, looking up at Sachiko.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm all right. Though my head still hurts a bit," she confessed.

"Would you like some medicine?"

"No, I'll be fine. I just want to go home now."

"All right. I will go retrieve our belongings from the Rose Mansion. I should be back shortly."

"I'll watch her while you're gone," the nurse promised, getting up from her desk and coming over to Yumi's bedside. She must have heard them talking from across the room.

Yumi blushed. "I don't need anyone to watch me, really. I'm all right."

"I'll be with you just in case," the nurse said, sitting down in the chair that Sachiko obligingly vacated for her. "Though you haven't shown any signs of brain injury, symptoms sometimes don't appear until a good while after the injury takes place. Will there be someone with you at your home, in case of an emergency?"

"My mother," Yumi answered automatically.

"Good." The nurse smiled. "And you'll see her home?" She asked Sachiko.

"Yes, of course," Sachiko answered.

Yumi looked like she wanted to protest, but surely there was no way she could argue against the nurse's words.

Sachiko left on her errand, knowing Yumi was in good hands.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Yumi drifted in and out for a while as she waited for Sachiko to return.

When the sound of Sachiko's measured gait reached her ears once more, it was a mix of relief and reluctance that washed over her. She did want to go home now, but the thought of getting up had lost a good deal of its appeal now that she actually had to do it. She wished Sachiko could just wave a wand and transport her home instantly. That would be nice.

This lead, of course, to thoughts of Sachiko decked out in a fairy god-mother-- no, make that fairy onee-sama-- costume. She giggled.

"Yumi?" Sachiko asked, sounding concerned.

Yumi opened her eyes. "Yes?" she asked, still smiling a bit at her private joke.

"Are you all right?"

Yumi answered with a simple, "Yes." She didn't want to get into a complicated explanation over why she'd been giggling right now. Maybe she'd share the story with Sachiko later, when she was feeling better.

Sachiko didn't quite look convinced, but she continued anyway: "The car should be waiting for us by the gate. I'll have the chauffeur take us by your house."

With a sinking feeling, Yumi suddenly realized that she would be alone with Sachiko in a few short minutes, and it wasn't as though she'd be able to use sleep as an excuse to avoid questions while they were walking! What would she say if Sachiko asked her what she'd been doing outside the meeting room? She hadn't had time to think of an excuse yet! She couldn't possibly tell her that she'd been- that she'd been-

She stopped herself before her train of thought went any farther. She had a feeling her face was turning red already.

Belatedly, she realized that she hadn't acknowledged what Sachiko had said yet. "I- I can take the bus," she protested, the reserved politeness coming to her automatically.

Sachiko frowned. "I don't think that would be wise. What if you start feeling ill?"

Yumi knew when she was licked. The only thing further protests would get her was more of a headache. "All right," she acquiesced.

She was in for it now. 


End file.
